President Donald Trump signed the second veto of his presidency Tuesday, overturning a congressional resolution to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen.
The House passed the measure earlier this month by a vote of 247-175, and the Senate cleared a vote by 54-46 in March. The votes marked the first time both chambers approved using the war-powers resolution to withdraw the U.S. military out of an overseas conflict.
"This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken by constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said of the veto.
Had Trump signed the resolution, it would have affected U.S. support, which includes refueling Saudi aircraft in the region and aerial targeting efforts. The Trump administration had already pledged to end the refueling runs.
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Yemen's civil war has been going since 2015 and pits the Iran-backed rebel Houthis against the internationally recognized government of President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a Saudi ally. The fighting has exacerbated what the United Nations in December called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. A U.N. report that month said almost 16 million Yemenis face food insecurity.
Cholera has also sickened many in the Middle Eastern nation. The World Health Organization said recently there have been more than 100,000 cases of severe acute watery diarrhea and suspected cholera in Yemen -- with 190 linked deaths -- during the first two and a half months of 2019.
Trump used his first veto March 15 to undo a bipartisan effort to terminate his national emergency declaration at the southern border, arguing the executive branch can bypass Congress in extreme circumstances.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
